


He Has All But Forgotten

by ZeeK



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tattoos, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 10:35:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6851218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeeK/pseuds/ZeeK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: </p><p>Soulmate AU where you have your soulmate's name on your body. Bucky used to have Tony's name on his left arm but after he lost his arm (and got the metal one) he thinks he no longer has a soulmate. Tony convinces him how wrong he is and that they still belong to each other. (Bonus points if Bucky gets a new tattoo with Tony's name)</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Has All But Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AkikoFumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkikoFumi/gifts).



It doesn’t take Bucky long to figure out that Tony is avoiding him. 

It started out almost immediately after they had met. Tony had greeted him with a dazzling smile and introduced himself. Bucky made an effort to smile back, to appear happy. It didn’t seem to work. When he hadn’t said anything other than the returned greeting, the smile had slipped right off of Tony’s face almost as quickly as it had appeared. 

After that, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tony didn’t like him very much. As soon as Bucky stepped into a room that Tony happened to be in, Tony would slip out as discreetly as possible. If it wasn’t possible for Tony to make a run for it, he’d ignore Bucky with ever fiber of his being. 

The problem wasn’t that Tony was avoiding him. Not at all. The problem was that for some reason, Tony interested Bucky. Even if they didn’t talk - at all - he knew that Tony was passionate about his tech. He caught Tony explaining something to Bruce and saw his eyes light up, lips turned up in a genuine smile until he saw Bucky standing there. Then it was a completely different person in front of him. 

Bucky couldn’t help but acknowledge the fact that he’d actually like to get to know him. Okay, the avoidance part stung a little more than he liked to admit, but he could deal with it. If Tony didn’t like him, he couldn’t really do anything about it.

The only thing that didn’t really make sense to him was the fact that Tony was letting them all live in the tower. If Tony had any objections about Bucky living here, Bucky hadn’t heard them and Steve hadn’t mentioned them. A couple times he saw Barton around; he was usually nursing a cup of coffee. Other times, he saw Natasha, who he was definitely not ready to talk to. Not yet anyways. Sometimes it was Bruce. It was rarely Thor. From what he had been able to see, it all seemed pretty domestic. Bucky didn’t leave the floor as much as the others. Most of the time he wasn’t up to socializing and other times, he was still trying to figure out the rattled memories in his brain. 

None of that explained the reason why they were all living in the same tower. If he had to guess, Bucky would say that Tony was lonely. 

It wasn’t until about three weeks after he moved into the tower that Steve finally pushed him to do something on the more social side of things. Bucky had been leaving Steve’s floor to visit the main one almost every couple of days. Obviously, that wasn’t good enough because currently, Steve was trying to get him to do something other than sit on his ass and watch tv. 

“Come on Buck,” He was saying, sitting off to the side. “We should go for a run or something,” Bucky makes a face. “Or we could go and see the others? Sam is coming over soon. It’s been awhile since you’ve seen him.” Steve was trying to make the offer sound appealing. It wasn’t working. But he can see the worry on Steve’s face. Steve is trying. He really is. It was just… Steve hovers. A lot. He frets and constantly asks if Bucky is okay. At first, it was tolerable, then it slowly got worse. Bucky just doesn’t want anyone fretting over him and treating him like he can’t handle anything. He hates feeling weak. 

With a quick glance over to him, Bucky lets out a sigh. “Yeah.” He says with a small smile. Steve’s face instantly loses its worry and he smiles back. Crisis averted. “I’ll go get ready to socialize I guess.” He says to Steve. Steve huffs out a small laugh in reply.

As soon as Bucky is dressed in something other than his sweats and an oversized shirt, he’s ready to go. He had showered last night so at least he didn’t smell as bad as he looks. It’s not like he needs to impress anybody.

They both take the elevator down, to the common floor and as soon as Bucky steps out, he feels the urge to leave. There’s the sound of people chatting in the other room but the voice that stands out the most is Tony’s. 

With only a little hesitation, Bucky follows Steve into the kitchen and then slowly comes to a stop. Natasha and Clint are seated at the table, Natasha leaning over to whisper something in Clint’s ear. There’s no sign of Bruce or Thor but Tony is there, reaching up to grab something from the top cupboard. 

“Stop being so secretive. No secrets allowed. It’s a new rule. My tower, my rules-” Tony was saying but Bucky wasn’t paying attention. Instead, his eyes were glued to the small place where Tony’s shirt had ridden up. _James Buchanan Barnes._ It was right there. Right on Tony’s left hip bone. That was his name and it was in his scrawl. 

He didn’t have a soulmate. He would remember if he did. Wouldn’t he? No, of course he wouldn't. They took his memories away.

There were no words on his body. He had checked. He remembers people checking for him when he was the Asset. 

“Bucky?” He looks up and Steve’s staring at him. Taking a quick sweep of his surroundings, Bucky notices that everyone is now looking at him, some with worry, others with curiosity at what had set him off. Tony though, Tony is looking at him with something akin to hope yet he’s trying to cover it up. 

Bucky quickly turns around and walks out. Steve calls for him but then Natasha’s voice is ringing out and saying “No Steve. Let him go.” He’d have to thank her later. 

He steps into the elevator and barely manages to get the words “Steve’s floor” out before he’s trying to regain his composure. Bucky takes a couple of deep breaths, yet he can still feel his heart beating erratically underneath his hand. 

As soon as the elevator doors open, Bucky makes his way to the bathroom, shuts and locks the door behind him then strips off his clothes. There’s nothing on his body. No words, no name, no Tony. His eyes stray to the metal arm and there’s an idea - 

Someone is knocking on the door. Probably Steve. That guy never listens. “Yeah just give me a minute.” He sighs, picking his clothes up from off the floor and quickly putting them back on. Bucky moves forward and opens the door and then blinks in surprise. He wasn't expecting Tony to be standing there. He should have been though, after his very abrupt departure. There’s a tense second where no one speaks, then Tony offers him a smile. 

“It’s yours,” Is the first thing out of Tony’s mouth. “I looked it up. There are some James Barnes’ in the world but none of them have my name.”

“I don’t have your name.” The words startle him. Bucky didn’t expect himself to be able to talk. 

“I figured. I asked Steve -”

“What?” His voice sounds hoarse to his own ears.

“I wasn’t finished. I asked Steve and he said your soulmate's name was on your left arm.”

“So what? You just decided to ignore me instead of telling me?” It’s all so overwhelming. He can’t stop himself when his voice comes out accusing. Tony takes a step back in alarm. It might have been because of how his metal arm started to whir. 

“Listen, I didn’t figure it out until I talked to Steve about it last night. He told me not to tell you, so I showed you instead of telling you. That way he can’t give me that disappointed, angry look he does,” Yeah Bucky knows that look. “I thought you didn’t want me, so forgive me for acting like an ass.” All of his confidence is fake. Bucky can tell. He stands tall and poised but that doesn’t stop the nervosity from showing. 

“And you’re sure?” Bucky finds his gaze wandering to Tony’s left hipbone which is now covered by his shirt. This time, Tony does smile and it isn’t fake at all.

“That you’re my soulmate? Yeah, I’m one hundred percent sure Robocop. I wouldn’t be telling you unless I was.” Tony takes a step forward, looking like he wants to reach out. Bucky studies him for a moment. Tony is watching him, obviously waiting for him to make the first move. 

“I have a soulmate.” He whispers and feels his lips pull up into a smile.

“Yes you do and he’s pretty awesome if I do say so -” Bucky quickly pulls Tony towards him with a quiet laugh and kisses him. 

When he finally pulls away and finds that Tony is looking at him with astonishment, he can’t help but kiss him again.

 

Having Tony as a soulmate isn’t the easiest thing in the world but it’s definitely one of the better things in his life. They’re more ups than downs and Bucky wouldn’t change it at all. 

It takes awhile to get his memories back. They don’t come all at once and he goes weeks without getting a new one but Bucky can safely say that he’s got the majority of them. The ones that count anyways. 

He remembers Tony’s name on his left arm. _Anthony Edward Stark_ was written in Tony’s messy scrawl from his inner elbow all the way to his wrist. 

In the end, it’s Jarvis and Bruce who help him with his idea. With his heightened healing, tattoos don’t last on him. Normal tattoos that is. Bruce helps him with the ink and Jarvis helps him with the printing. 

Bucky waits to show him. He has it for a couple of weeks without Tony seeing it. It’s hard to keep it a secret when it’s in such an obvious spot but he manages. When he finally decides it’s time, Tony has just got back from his lab. Bucky slowly peels off his shirt when Tony isn’t looking and simply waits. 

Tony’s ranting about something sciency that he’s been doing and usually, Bucky would be happy to listen but he’s a bit too nervous about Tony’s reaction. 

Tony turns around and stops. His eyes instantly zero in on Bucky’s chest. He takes a couple of steps forward and then looks up to meet Bucky’s eyes, then they drop back down. 

Instead of on his arm, Bucky had decided to get Tony’s name over his heart because he’s a sap and he knows Tony’s secretly one too. He thinks it was a good choice.

Tony doesn’t say anything but his actions are better anyways. He leans down to kiss Bucky right over his own name and pulls away to give him a dazzling smile.

**Author's Note:**

> this was fun to write so I hope everyone who reads it, enjoys it!  
> <3


End file.
